Just Checking In

Hello, hello! I'm sorry to have been away for a week and a half, but I swear, life be cray-cray around here. As most of you know, I've been working on my fiction writing. With a single-minded determinedness on that, I've been enduring all my other chores, chomping at the bit to write more. The story is coming along well. I'm at the point where I've decided to muck it all up. It was a short, sweet story and but now, plot changes are a-coming. Today should be a much slower day than the last couple, so I'll have plenty of time to work today.

April, Abbreviated: 2016

It's May, you guys. How is it May? Almost half the year is gone already! On the plus side... it will be summer soon. Outside, the trees all have leaves or are actively growing new ones, the weeds have bloomed, the wasps are out *grumbles*, and we are on the cusp of humidity here in NE Kentucky. Yes, it is currently that short, maybe 2-week period we have here where the weather is warm and sunny, but the humidity is low. Because when the humidity kicks in, whew, it's tough to be outside in the afternoon. The garden is growing by leaps and bounds, to my delight. It also appears our bees have decided to stay. What I can I say? April kicked ass. Let's summarize the whirlwind that was last month-

Oregon 2015

Oh my goodness. I took quite the break!

It's been more than a month since my last post. And let me tell you, time off did me good. I definitely feel invigorated and refreshed. The hubby and I got back from our Oregon trip on Thursday night, but it's taken me a while to find my bearings. It always feels like that coming back from vacation. However, the house is back in order, the laundry is all done, the fridge is stocked with veggies- which means it's time to get back to writing. 

The Best Grilled Burgers

Happy Monday!

How was your weekend? I spent mine around the homestead. I literally did not leave the house. I had no intention of doing that, but somehow it just happened. I woke up with tons of energy on Saturday. The kind of productive, house-cleaning energy that doesn't pop up everyday. You have to take advantage of those moods when they come along, you know what I mean? Which I did on Saturday morning. Hello clean bathrooms, waxed bedroom furniture, and freshly scrubbed baseboards! 

Smoked Salmon Caesar Salad

- with poached egg

Last week, the hubby and I were picking up a few items at our big box warehouse. Just our usual fare- coffee creamer, huge jars of dill pickles (if the hubby eats any more dill pickles, I swear, he will become a dill pickle), tortillas, cheese, etc. The normal stuff. Anyways, we were smack in the middle of mundane, moving our way through the seafood, when I saw smoked salmon on a sale for a reasonable price. I consider $10 a reasonable price for a filet of smoked salmon, whereas it's normally around $20. I've only got 10 gazillion recipes stuffed in my back pocket for smoked salmon, so I grabbed up that fishy fare as fast as I could. And now, I'm wishing I'd picked up more!

Fresh Blueberry Curd

-plus a dessert recipe!

It's officially Spring here in Kentucky! The air is warming up, gardening supplies are being stocked on the shelves at the big box store again, and blueberries are back in grocery stores. I love the start of Spring. There's just something magical about breaking out of that long rut of winter weather and gray skies into the first warm day that merely hints at what's to come. It really feels like everything is coming back to life. My heart leaps with joy, and I want nothing more than to be outside with my hands in the dirt. Of course, we haven't had our last frost yet so I can't plant anything just yet. 

Blackberry Popsicles

Popsicles are not just for kids my friends! I love popsicles. I have since I was a kid. My favorites were the long, skinny Welch's Fruit Juice popsicles in- what other flavor is there?- raspberry. Yummy.

Popsicles always make me think of summers during my childhood-

--Playing outside all day long. At least until the sun went down at what seemed to be 9 pm--

--Riding my bike to the park with friends, wind in my hair, helmet occasionally sliding down over my forehead, riding so fast I imagine I'm going to break the sound barrier--

--Trips to the community pool to wait in line for the water-slide, slip-n-slide mat wrapped around my waist, brave smile on my face--

--Begging my parents to let me sleep a tent in the backyard, armed with nothing more than friends, a flashlight, and a very friendly dog--

--The days when my only responsibility was to vacuum the entryway stairs or clean a bathroom. Funny how that one chore always seemed to be a huge, time-consuming obstacle. The one thing standing in the way of my over-indulgence in the summer sun--

--Neighborhood wide games of "Capture the Flag"--

--Counting down the days of August, dreading being forced back into that claustrophobic classroom--  (Can you tell I didn't like school?)

Well, you know what? Popsicles aren't just for kids. I still love them. They are one of the healthiest desserts, consisting of mostly fruit and a little sugar water. They are super-easy to make, delicious, and a great use of summer berries. And you know what? They taste so much better than store-bought!

Ingredients (makes 5-7 popsicles):

1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
3 cups blackberries
1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, heat water and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, and let cool.
2. In a food processor, pulse blackberries and lemon juice until completely smooth. Pour blackberry mixture through a fine sieve to strain out seeds.
3. Put de-seeded blackberry mixture back in food processor. Add sugar water, and pulse again until smooth. Pour mixture into a pourable container.
4. Pour blackberry mixture into popsicle molds. Place a wooden popsicle stick in the middle of each and place each mold in the freezer for 4 hours. Popsicles are ready to serve after 4 hours.

*Recipe courtesy of Picture Perfect Meals*

-You can also find this recipe over on The Country Cook's weekly linky party!

Summertime Workout Playlist

This virus I'm fighting is the devil! While I'm feeling much better today, I'm still a little woozy. I've got tons more energy than yesterday, but I can definitely tell I'm not 100% yet. Food doesn't sound as nauseating as it did yesterday, but I still don't have an appetite. I'm really, really hoping that today can be my last rest day, and my last day of forcing food into my body. I've been saying that everyday this week. Today is going to be yoga (hey, that's pretty restful!), couponing, mani's, and pedi's. Maybe tomorrow I'll get to workout to my new playlist.

I haven't worked out in over a week, and I feel like a capitol S, capital L, capital U, capitol G. Ugh, I hate getting this far off track. I don't get this sick that often, but when I do, it's enough to drive me crazy. Hopefully that will change tomorrow, and I can get my cardio on! I'm really obsessed with country in the summer. It seems like these summer months is when all those country songs get released about partying, drinking, staying out late, and sunshine. In other words, the best of country. And I do realize there are 2 Jake Owen songs on there, but come on. Jake Owen's voice is hot.

I sincerely hope that everyone is having a much better week than me :)

Tuesday Tidings

Time: 9:07 am

Weather outside: 73º and sunny, with a high of 91º. Humidity- 83% right now, at 9 am. Translation- it's going to be disgusting out at the height of the day.

On my desk: Numerous US Weekly's, World War Z, and Deadlocked. I'm behind on my reading, but I'm currently trying to catch up. I finished that cheerleading book, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay last week!

On my nightstand: Right now? Nothing, except an empty bottle of water. But tonight? You might find World War Z there, I'm a couple of chapters in. 

On my DVR: Game of Thrones! Holy cow, the hubby and I just watched "The Red Wedding" last night, and let me tell you, I think I'm still processing it. I'm walking around in shock. I can't believe it. The hubby and I are watching the season finale tonight, what else are they going to throw at us this season???

In my ears: The Today show.

In my garden: Currently waiting on basil and cilantro!

In the oven: Nothing yet, but I've got all the fixings to retry making cheesecake. It will happen this week.

In my tummy: Kashi's Go Lean Cinnamon Crisp cereal with banana slices and almond milk. My favorite breakfast. I've tried other breakfasts, but I find I actually miss this breakfast. It's just not worth skipping for me :)

In my future: Working out. Laundry. I'm behind on couponing by about a month, really need to that. Possibly baking. Making something yummy for dinner. Reading World War Z. My life is hard, huh? LOL.

On tap for dinner: Beer Braised Chicken Taco with Cabbage Apple Slaw. So good. 

Latest obsession: Homemade Samoas!

On my mind: I need to get some chicken defrosting. I need to set out some butter and eggs to come to room temperature. The dogs want to go for a walk. I really need to start the laundry. The house needs to be vacuumed. All these things can wait because this cup of coffee is so damn good!

Sunday Selects

Everyone has been doing a favorites post lately, so I thought I'd jump on the ol' bandwagon. Of course, everyone else got their posts in for "Friday Faves", while I did not. So you have "Sunday Selects". Voila :)

1. Spring!!!

I feel bad rubbing the fact that Spring is here in some of your faces' (ahem, Aunt Marilyn, who just got 10 new inches of snow in Minnesota). However, everything is starting to turn green here, flowers (ok, weeds) are popping up, and we've had some warm, sunny days. I'm not the only one loving it-

Ah, yes. That special time of year when one's dog loves to roll around in the grass, getting who knows what on him. 5 minutes after their bath's. Sigh.

2. The Americans

Image source: IMDB

If you haven't gotten into this fast-paced, highly fascinating show about Russian spies living in America during the Cold War starring former "Felicity" star, Keri Russell, you are missing out. One of the best parts of the show is to watch their (in today's standards, mind you) completely outdated technology. It's so crazy that this stuff was considered high tech just 30 years ago. Man alive, I'm old!

3. Brookside's Dark Chocolate

Image source: Facebook

I'm totally obsessed with these pieces of dark chocolate filled with pomegranate juice. The hubby is going to have to send me to dark chocolate rehab pretty soon :)

4. We've Got Spirit by James T. McElroy

Image source: Amazon

Here's what I'm reading right now, and here's why. This book was written about the cheerleading team where my hubby went to high school, and the county that I'm living in currently. They've won nationals many, many times. So many times, in fact, that someone decided to write a book about them. From what the hubby has told me, people around the county HATE this book, because they think it makes them look bad. I'm finding it pretty accurate so far, and it was written almost 15 years ago. Not my normal-type read, but a good historical account set in where I'm living.

5. Spring Time Baseball Games

Ok, so I've only been to 1 game. It was fantastic though! It was a sunny, 70º day in downtown Cincinnati, with hardly any wind from the river. We got free Red's fleece blankets, and drank beer for a couple of hours with friends in the sun. Does it really get any better than that? I also inhaled a plate of nachos that were piled high with BBQ pulled pork, salsa, jalapenos, cheese, and guacamole. Um, I'll be going back just for the nachos alone, thank you very much!

6. Buxom Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish in Amber

Image source: Sephora

Another of my latest obsessions. This slightly plumps your lips, has tons of sparkle, and just a hint of nude color. I'm already on my 2nd tube since October.

7. Miranda Lambert's "Mama's Broken Heart"

Image source: Slack Time

This is currently my go-to workout song. Between the fast beat and Miranda's bad-ass-ness (yep, just made that up), this song really get's my Mojo going. I love, love, LOVE Miranda Lambert. Every song she does is perfect. I can't remember the last song that she released that I haven't bought. I really should just buy her albums :)

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!

Springtime Polish Round-Up

I think, I think it's finally spring here in Kentucky. Our weather has been sunny, and 70º for the last couple of days. It's even supposed to be 80º today! I'm so excited, I've been waiting with abated breath for spring. I was soooo sick of wearing boots, or my tennis shoes, or some other version of closed-toed shoes. It's flip-flop time baby!

So being as it is time for flip-flops, what goes hand-in-hand with flip-flops? Pedicures! Time to remove your toes from their sweaty, confined winter prisons, and share them with the world. Go forth ladies, and shed your ashen heels. Moisturize to your hearts content. And for heaven's sake, pick a pretty polish!

I've actually been testing out different polish's all winter. I feel better with my toes painted. Some I've been fond of (hello Covergirl in Smoky Taupe!), and some others I feel, um, not so fond of. Here's some looks I've tried out:

1. Nude

I picked the wrong color of nude. This is Sinful Colors in Vacation Time, and it does not work with my pasty-white complexion. This polish has pink-undertones, and my skin tone was not having it. I'm a big fan of the nude look, I just haven't picked out the right color yet. With so many nudes to choose from, it might be awhile before I find the right one. Besides why not pick a color that people don't have to squint at, and tilt their head as they ponder if you're even wearing a polish? :)

2. Sparkly White

I actually really liked the sparkly white polish. Think disco nails, rather than toes covered in white-out. I bought the Nicole by OPI in It's All About The Glam, and tried it by itself in 3 coats. However, it produced more of a transparent finish rather than the solid, glittery white I was coveting. I countered this by applying Maybelline's Porcelain Party first, which is a non-translucent white. I finished the look with 2 coats of the OPI polish. The 2 polish's together combined for the more opaque look I was going for. It was a really pretty pedicure, one I'm likely to repeat.

3. Bold Purple

As many of you may know, I heart purple. Love, love, LOVE it. I've probably tried just about every purple out on the market. This was a non-complicated pedicure, and 2 coats of this thick polish will produce a perfectly opaque pedicure. Whilst the color was a complete winner (the color was Paparazzi Pleaser), L'Oreal's polish formula sucks. It was too thick, and globby (yes, that is a perfectly acceptable made-up word for describing a nail polish). It chipped and smudged immediately (and yes, I did let the polish set for 60 minutes before it smudged). You can guarantee you'll see me in another purple pedicure, however you are unlikely to see me purchasing another L'Oreal nail polish.

So, what's next? I got some polish strips I'm going to try. I love polish strips. They always look perfect, and they last forever! I got some China Glaze strips on sale at Sally's, and I'm super-excited for my next look.

And what do you know? They are gonna be purple :)

The Parental's 2nd Kentucky Trip

Wow, it's been awhile since I've blogged!

I'd fully planned on getting a couple of blog entries in while my parents and my aunt were here, but alas, even the best laid plans go awry at times.

Their visit flew by! It went by almost as fast as the hubby's and I's October Oregon visit. And the week that my aunt was here? Ha. It seemed like 1 day. It was sooooo much fun having my family at the new house vs. our Ashland rental from the days of yore. Actually, it's more like, the days of ick.

If you thought I might be getting better at remembering to take pictures, you'd be wrong.

If you thought I wouldn't just count on scrounging together photos that my family took, you'd be wrong.

If you thought I'm old enough to know better, well, you'd be wrong.

The important thing is I do have a few photos to share from the last 2 weeks :)

Myself, Mom, and Aunt Marilyn, upon our reunion as a fabulous trio :)

The hubby's Aunt and Mother came down to the house to visit with everyone.

Dad, Aunt Marilyn, Myself, Mom, and Hubby. Man, I need a piece of art for that wall :)

Gizmo thoroughly missed his Grandpa.

Lunch at the local brewery.

Unbeknownst to me, this stadium near us was home to one of the 1st NFL teams. I can't believe I didn't know that!

Appetizers we had for a small party which included my parents, the Hubby's Aunt, Uncle, and Mom, and some of the Hubby's high school friends.

We finally had one sunny, warm day on the day before my parents  left. At least we had one day where we got to sit outside in the sun!

The Hubby and my Mom. That's our house in the background!

Also, we did a million other things that I did not take pictures of, including: A trip to Huntington, lunch at the Black Sheep Restaurant in Huntington, a wonderful dinner at the Hubby's mother's house, watching 5 million hours of the NCAA tournament, drinking countless gallons of wine, and dining at an Irish pub in Cincinnati. 

In the meantime, I must be getting old, because I'm so tired from their visit! And it was a relaxing visit. Oy. I can't imagine how 40 is going to feel if 30 feels like this :)

Is It Spring Yet??

So, it's mid February. That time of year when it's still winter, but you are so close to spring you can't stand it. Clothing stores are bringing out their spring collections, with light fabrics and fun colors. Heavy winter clothes in muted colors, ski hats, and scarf's have become unbelievably tiresome. You can't wait to hurl them into the back of your closet until next year.

That's where I'm at. I'm ready for capri pants and t-shirts. Sandals and shorts. Self-tanner on my ghostly white skin. Warm weather. Due to my serious online shopping addiction, I'm coveting waaaay too many spring-y items. Here's what I'm really into for Spring:


1. Boho Bracelets-

How I love Boho. I find it so easy to pull off Boho in the Spring and Summer, and much more difficult in the winter. Bracelets are one of my go-to accessories, so I am considering just going ahead and ordering these. I'm having a hard time fathoming not having them. I'm also picturing all the outfits I could pull together with them. Argh.

2. Chambray Shirts-

Chambray is a huge trend right now, everybody's doing it :) I love this look. My favorite look of the moment is a chambray shirt with white shorts, and statement sandals. I'm also picturing a chambray shirt with capri pants, leggings, cowboy boots... The possibilities are endless. I like this long version from the Gap because, well, I like long shirts. I just do. Period.

3. Flat Sandals-

I love, love, LOVE the black sandals in the middle. I'm not huge into animal prints, but this shoe has just the right amount (minimal!). As a girl who used to exclusively wear heels, I've embraced the flat trend with open arms. Perhaps a bit too much, because my heels don't really get much use anymore... Flats are just soooo much more comfortable. I can already picture this sandal with the aforementioned chambray shirt and white shorts. That's hot. What? People don't say that anymore? Whatev's.

4. A Fun Handbag-

I'm still loving the stud trend. I think the black bag is super cute. I'm also loving fringe right now. I don't usually go with a lot of prints on my clothes, so sometimes a cute studded purse or something fringe-y can really punch up an outfit. I know I'm stuck in this chambray rut-moment, but once again, I can picture the fringe purse with the chambray shirt and white shorts. Maybe not with the animal print sandals, though. Perhaps with a cute pair of wedges or espadrilles? Yes.

5. Long T-Shirts-

Long shirts? Yes, please. Make it a graphic tee as well? Double yes please! There's nothing I love more than a cute t-shirt, but make it long and a little loose? You've got my go-to look for summer. I wear a lot of shorts in the summer, and I'm one of those girls that prescribes to the theory of only highlighting one part of the body, that part usually being some leg à la Angelina Jolie. I'm not going to be prancing around in short shorts with a tight, cropped camisole. It's just not going to happen people.

So, it Spring yet? It's still not time? Drat.

Happy Monday everyone!

Flying Into Chicago

It was a long weekend for me!

The hubby had Saturday, Sunday, and Monday off, so we finally got to spend some time together since we've been back. It was a movies, snacks, and lots of wine kind of weekend. And we had a great time!

But, back to reality. In house news, all the trim, doors, cabinets, and the porch were installed yesterday! After the workers left yesterday (an Amish crew from Cleveland- they were very interesting) I was left pretty much speechless. An incredible amount of work was done, it was unbelievable. Pictures will be up tomorrow. I'm that technologically challenged girl that never syncs her iPhone to her computer because it always deletes her playlists, so I email pics from my iPhone to my computer. This process takes forever, so they should be there by tomorrow :) And if anyone knows why my playlists always get deleted, please tell me! I've spent hours trying to fix whatever it is that does that. I always appreciate technology tips!

So, the hubby and I had one of the scariest experiences I've ever had on our travels back from Portland to Chicago, our layover city. We flew out of PDX in clear weather, which, unbeknownst to us, was soon to change. I snapped this cool pic right after leaving PDX:

It's kind of hard to see, but you can just make out the red and yellow ring in the middle. It's apparently called a glory, and is a visual optical illusion that's pretty rare to see.

But, back to my story. We ran into a major thunderstorm while descending into Chicago. I've never felt turbulence like that before, I was scared out of my mind! At some point, I feel the plane pulling up instead of descending. The captain's voice came over the loudspeaker and announced that the Chicago airport had closed when we were in the middle of our descent, and we were going into a holding pattern. A holding pattern is where the plane just circles above the airport. In a thunderstorm. It was basically pure turbulence for 20 minutes while we circled around in center of a storm. I completely lost my sense of direction, so that when the plane sped up (a ton!) I couldn't tell if we were going up or down. All I knew was that the plane sounded like planes do in movies when they are plummeting from the sky. I was gripping my seat so hard, my whole body was tensed. The guy sitting next to the hubby was saying the Lord's Prayer. The whole plane was silent. It was beyond creepy.

The extreme speed only lasted a few minutes, because soon we were above the storm and the captain was announcing we were diverting to Indianapolis. The hubby and I were uneasy about this, because the flight had already been delayed about 45 minutes due to this storm, and our layover in Chicago was only 2 hours. We really didn't want to miss our flight to Columbus. But... miss our flight to Columbus we did. We sat on the tarmac in Indy for 2 hours before taking to the sky and finally landing in Chicago. Along with thousands of other delayed and diverted passengers. The airport was. a. disaster. We waited in a seemingly endless line to reschedule our flight, but finally managed to get it changed. Unfortunately, there were no flights leaving that night, and we had to stay the night in the airport.

I will mention that by this time it was midnight, the dogs desperately needed a potty break, and the hubby and I hadn't eaten all day. We had planned on eating in Chicago hours earlier. We were so exhausted we couldn't see straight, but we had to leave security, let the dogs potty, and then go back through security to scour the airport for any food venue that might be open. We were lucky to find a venue to purchase sandwiches, fruit, and water. The dogs dined on turkey, bread, and melon, which I personally don't think they minded :) The airport was nice enough to distribute cots, blankets, and pillows to the thousands of people who were stranded in the airport, so we settled down for the night.

The boys behaved surprisingly well that night. They both went to sleep on and/or next to the hubby. I could not sleep, so I read a book and kept watch over the hubby, boys, and bags.

By morning, the storm had passed and we had no doubt we would make it to Columbus with no trouble.

The sunrise over Illinois

Needless to say, I was beyond exhausted when we finally reached Ohio, and even more so after our two and half hour drive back to Kentucky. It took about 2 days for me to recover (rest-wise) from this ordeal.

If I could manage to avoid airplanes for the rest of my life, I would. But, I can't do that. Sigh.

I'll be posting all the pics of the trim tomorrow! Happy Tuesday everyone!

Pics From the Day: 6/20/12

Vanilla Caramel Cream in the K-Cup. And catching up on reading.

Beachy waves.

WTF?

It's 93 degrees outside!

Brutus is hot too!

Love that tongue.

Buds.

It's a rough life.

Dinner. Pulled pork hash with a side of strawberries.

The hubby helping with the landscaping.

Beautiful sunset